Stories with a heartbeat.

Tell it like it is

Every couple has their own unique How We Met story. I enjoy asking people about theirs. They're usually sweet, sometimes amusing, and occasionally surprising. It's easy to see, that in fiction, the possibilities are limitless.I prefer to write character-driven contemporary romances because there are so many situations that can complicate our quest for love. I like my characters to have a history, with former lovers or spouses. They might be divorced, widowed, or just holding out for the right someone when they're introduced.Contemporaries allow more flexibility with the main couples' ages too, particularly the heroine's. Either, or both, might have children who could potentially prove to be an obstacle to the blending of the two households. I like my characters to have already experienced love, even fleetingly, and want to find it again. It's so optimistic. My goal is to make the emotional connection between my hero and heroine early and see how they weather the complications they'll face. The characters should feel genuine, be people you could know or be friends with. They're not going to be running from a serial killer, or desperately searching for an antivirus with less than two hours to save the world. Those kinds of stories are enjoyable, but they ask us to suspend reality to make them work. But I believe reality, in and of itself, can be compelling if it drives the story where we want it to go, with speed bumps along the way.What I do is create an introduction, then invite the reader to experience the love story through the eyes of two people very similar to themselves. It's a modest undertaking, to be sure, but one filled with hope and possibilities in the real world.